(NewsNation) — Hunter Biden accused Republicans in an interview released Friday of “trying to kill me” with investigations meant to undermine his father’s presidency.
Biden made the comment on the “Moby Pod” podcast hosted by the musician Moby, a friend of Biden’s. Biden acknowledged in the interview that his legal and personal troubles could pose a political threat to his father in his bid for reelection.
“I recognize that none of this is necessarily about me,” Biden said of Republican efforts to investigate him and his family. “They are trying to, in their most illegitimate way, but rational way, they’re trying to destroy a presidency. And so, it’s not about me. In their most base way, what they’re trying to do is, they’re trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle.”
Biden is under scrutiny from House Republicans who allege the “Biden crime family” has peddled political influence in exchange for tens of millions of dollars over the years. No evidence has been presented linking President Joe Biden to any wrongdoing.
Hunter Biden has been subpoenaed for a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer. Biden has offered to testify publicly, but Republicans insist it must be done in private.
Comer said earlier this week that the committee has documents showing Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings. Hunter scoffed at the idea that his family is running a crime enterprise.
“The Biden crime family … think about this. My dad has been a senator since I was 2 years old. He has released decades worth of his tax returns. He has lived in the public life. We have lived in the public life. We’ve gone through four presidential campaigns. My entire life has been before the public. It took until, oh, lo and behold, Donald Trump figured out that somehow this is a criminal enterprise. I mean, like, it begs credulity,” he said on the podcast.
The release of the podcast episode comes a day after Biden was indicted in California on tax evasion charges in a criminal investigation separate from the congressional investigation.
Prosecutors allege Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement. The charges are centered on at least $1.4 million in taxes Hunter Biden owed between 2016 and 2019, a period where he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. The back taxes have since been paid.
NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert contributed to this report.